Monday, May 24, 2010

Mushroom Madness

I always think that I am going to have trouble finding new recipes to try, and then I turn around and completely shock myself when I realize that I have recipes saved from 3 years ago that I still haven't had the time to make. This recipe is one that I saved in my Food Network Recipe folder almost 3 years ago when I first started to take a heavy interest in cooking. And for some unknown reason I still haven't given it the time of day. Well it has been neglected long enough and I can't believe I waited so long. This recipe is a must for a mushroom lover, which I most assuredly am!

Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt and a splash of oil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside.

For the white sauce, bring the milk to a simmer in a saucepan. Set aside. Melt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour

and cook for 1 minute over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture all at once.

Add 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and nutmeg,

and cook over medium-low heat, stirring first with the wooden spoon and then with a whisk, for 3 to 5 minutes, until thick. Set aside off the heat.

Separate the mushroom stems from the caps and discard the stems. Slice the caps 1/4-inch thick. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large (12-inch) saute pan. When the butter melts, add half the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and they release some of their juices.

If they become too dry, add a little more oil. Toss occasionally to make sure the mushrooms cook evenly. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms and set all the mushrooms aside.

To assemble the lasagna, spread some of the sauce in the bottom of an 8 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish.

Arrange a layer of noodles on top, then more sauce, then 1/3 of the mushrooms, slices of fresh mozzarella and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan.

Repeat 2 more times, layering noodles, sauce, mushrooms, and Parmesan. Top with a final layer of noodles and sauce, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.

Bake the lasagna for 45 minutes, or until the top is browned the sauce is bubbly and hot. Allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and serve hot.

This looks totally amazing! I love portobella mushrooms. Too bad that they don't love me. (I'm violently allergic.) Luckily, I can eat the "regular" kind of mushroom just fine. I may have to sub those and try this. Hope you have a lovely long weekend!